New hotel may join 7th St. corridor

A new hotel could join the rapidly changing landscape of Seventh Street in Augusta.

Kent Bush

If a developer and a group of local investors have their way, a new hotel could join the rapidly changing landscape of Seventh Street in Augusta.

With Walmart opening Wednesday, a new medical facility under construction and several other plans in the works, visitors are seeing a very different Augusta than they did even a few months ago.

With a developer offering to put up two-thirds of the money, a local investment group is trying to collect $1.25 million in order to help bring a Best Western Plus to the 1.5 acres west of the Moore Car Wash on Seventh Street.

On Wednesday morning, Augusta Progress Inc. agreed to a verbal commitment to invest $100,000 in the development if it goes forward.

“This is a chance for API to make money on an investment for a change,” said Dalton Patterson who has been working to bring investors together to fund the project.

Some on the board offered concerns that the group would be supporting new competitors which would damage the ability of the two current local hotels to compete.

But the board decided to pursue the project unanimously since several attempts to work with local hotel owners over the past few years have been fruitless.

Patterson said there would be some issues to resolve before the project would get off the ground.

He said the city would be asked to give tax abatements and a few other items before the developer, Raju Sheth – who has recently built several successful hotels in the region – would agree to come to Augusta.

The project is expected to be considered by the governing body at an upcoming meeting.

For more information about the project, you can email Dalton Patterson at dalton_patterson1941@yahoo.com.